Kirk Yetholm
Kirk Yetholm | |
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Kirk Yetholm from the Mindrum Road (September 2007) | |
Location within the Scottish Borders | |
Civil parish |
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Council area | |
Lieutenancy area | |
Country | Scotland |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | KELSO |
Postcode district | TD5 |
Dialling code | 01573 |
Police | Scotland |
Fire | Scottish |
Ambulance | Scottish |
UK Parliament | |
Scottish Parliament | |
Kirk Yetholm ('kirk yet-ham') is a village in the
Etymology
Yetholm means either:
- the goats' island from Old English gat 'goat' and Old Norse holmr (island, holme)
- village with a gate - from Old English geat-ham ‘gate village’
Gypsies
Kirk Yetholm was the headquarters of the Romanichal travellers (gypsies) in Scotland, having settled in the village about 1750.[2][3] The last King of the Gypsies, Charles Faa Blyth Rutherford, aged 70, was crowned on 31 May 1898.[4] A second male, David Blyth, claimed he was the rightful heir, but did not attend the huge ceremony and festivities which was held between the two Yetholm villages.[5] The king died just four years later on 21 April 1902.[6][2] Today the gypsies have been integrated and are no longer a separate ethnic minority. A memorial stone can be found on the village green.[7]
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Gypsy stone and plaque (May 2018).
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Gypsy plaque (May 2018).
Saint Cuthbert's Way and Pennine Way
The village is notable for being the northern terminus of the
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Saint Cuthbert's Way map (May 2018).
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Signpost (May 2018).
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Way near youth hostel (May 2018).
Youth hostel
In 1942 the village school building was converted into a
Activities
The first Saturday in October is traditionally the Yetholm Border Shepherds' Show, held on the land between Town Yetholm and Kirk Yetholm, with the 156th show held in 2019.[11][12] It stemmed from the old practice of farmers gathering to sort through stray sheep from neighbours' flocks.
A song referring to Kirk Yetholm called "Yetholm Day" was written and composed by Gary Cleghorn.
Scottish Border poet and Australian bush balladeer Will H. Ogilvie (1869–1963) wrote 'The gipsies' (c. 1910; and later put to music by British composer Graham Peel), having been raised 8 miles (13 km) away. Ogilvie also wrote a song for the 'Coronation of the Gipsy King at Yetholm' by July 1898 whilst in Australia.
Gallery
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Housing near the green (May 2018).
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Kirk at Kirk Yetholm village (May 2018).
See also
Further reading
The Kirk Yetholm Gypsies is available from the Hawick Archaeological Society website.[13]
References
- ^ Scotland's Census Result OnLine Archived 2012-03-22 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b "Gipsy families". The Telegraph (Brisbane). No. 11, 519. Queensland, Australia. 18 October 1909. p. 2. Retrieved 1 October 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Queen Esther Faa Blyth". The Mount Barker Courier and Onkaparinga and Gumeracha Advertiser. Vol. 5, no. 211. South Australia. 17 October 1884. p. 4. Retrieved 1 October 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Coronation of the Gipsy King". The Barrier Miner. Vol. 11, no. 3194. New South Wales, Australia. 22 July 1898. p. 1 (Second edition). Retrieved 1 October 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Scotland's Gipsy King". Kalgoorlie Miner. Vol. III, no. 809. Western Australia. 9 July 1898. p. 3. Retrieved 1 October 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "The Gipsy King dead". The World's News. No. 27. New South Wales, Australia. 21 June 1902. p. 10. Retrieved 1 October 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ The Gypsy Memorial, Kirk Yetholm, Scotland
- ^ "The Border Hotel | Services on the Pennine Way | National Trails". www.nationaltrail.co.uk. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
- ^ "Kirk Yetholm Friends of Nature House | IHUK". Independent Hostels UK. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
- ^ "Kirk Yetholm". SYHA Hostelling Scotland. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
- ^ WALKER, Angela. "Border Shepherd's Show". Yetholm Online. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
- ^ "Shepherd's delight: The story of the Yetholm Border Shepherds' Show". Scotland Magazine. Retrieved 1 October 2021.
- ^ "Hawick Archaeological Society". Archived from the original on 3 September 2011. Retrieved 17 May 2010.
External links
- Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland
- Scotland's Places
- SCRAN image: Roy map of Kirk Yetholm
- Gazetteer for Scotland: Map of Kirk Yetholm
- Yetholm Community Council website Yetholm Online
- Yetholm Parish Church website Cheviot Churches